Tales of memories
by Moyo
Summary: When Maetel meet the Galaxy express for the first time ? When Emeraldas gained her pirate style ? How Harlock decided to command a spaceship ? How Tochiro had his legendary hat ? Some answers here... Translated from French .
1. The train

Tales of memories

Translation from "souvenirs souvenirs"

**1 – The**** train**

- Hurry up mother ! shouted the little girl.

She took her mother's hand and walked quicker and quicker. This was a new road, with some small houses around. No traffic-jams here, hardly any circulation at all, only electric vehicles, a few of them. The sun was shining but its light was cold, unable to unfreeze the air.

This was the end of the season, but temperature was about zero degree in the middle of the afternoon.

- Summers become shorter and shorter. It's cold very early now, said the mother. Beware !  
- Yes mother ! answered the girl, who was thinking to something else.

The little girl waited all the week for this unique hour, she forgot evething else. Her mother promised to go with her to see _it_. Everyone talked her about _it_ all the time, she dreamed to see _it_ by her own ways.

- We can only stay sometimes, said the mother. Your sister didn't wanted to come, and I don't like her to be alone.  
- But, you promised mother ! cried the girl.  
- Yes, I know. We're going, but we can't stay for a very long time. I am very busy, even on Sundays. I'm sorry.

The blue eyes of the mother were shining, showing a very great sweetness. But she forced herself to smile, to reassure her child. All the time she was thinking about the future, about all these great difficulties.

- We're almost there ! shouted the girl. She dropped her mother's hand.

She run and looked throw the old railings, her face touching the cold metal. At last, she was about to see _it_. She was so excited !

The train arrived, wisthling, as it wanted to be heard by the entire town. The machine, a modern replica of and old-time locomotive, released its gazes in all the ways. The steel wheels were shining, thanks to the oil.

The small station had only a few tracks and some old-way platforms. The main terminal was like the ancient Earth's houses, with some white and red bricks. The track goes further and further, on a ramp going to the sky.

The snow was almost melted away. Workers of the railway compagny heated up tracks and switches. Without this, all trains will be trapped soon, unable to run away.

The train stopped, and the car's doors opened. The coaches were some new copies of ancient Earth's models. The company choosed this to give some prestige to this famous express.

The ticket inspector left the train and shouted, with his particular voice :

- Lametal ! Lametal ! One day stop ! The galactic railway compagny thanks you to have choosed it for your trip. We hope to see you on our trains soon. Lametal ! Lametal !

Passengers left the train, one by one. But the little girl wasn't looking at them. She was attracted by the engine. The steel monster was asleep, waiting for the new start.

- Can we stay ? Can we look the departure ? asked the girl.  
- No, I'm sorry. We must go home. The nightfall is very close, and it shall be very cold this evening.  
- Please…  
- No, I'm sorry, Maetel. We must go home.

Maetel left with regrets the station and its very interresting activity. She thought her mother was too busy these days. She talked all the time about the sun who was about to die, and all things she didn't understand as a young girl.

Back on way home, Maetel dares to ask the question :

- Mother ? What "to robotize" means ?

The mother was very surprised, and looked at her child with tenderness :

- This is a thing which will never happen to you. This is a promise, a promise from the Queen of Lametal.

The little girl accepted this easy explanation and was thinking about the train she saw a few moments before.

This Galaxy Express was fascinating !


	2. The gift

Tales of memories

Translation from "souvenirs souvenirs"

**2 – The present**

She was looking at the great Christmas tree, smiling. She spent a lot of time to decorate it. It was shining; its round balls reflected the room's light. Some tinsels found their way between branches. A gold star was on the top of the tree, looking to the heavens.

- Mother? When may I open the presents ? Asked the little girl.  
- Wait a moment, said her mother. It is not midnight yet.

The night was dark, and it was snowing outside. There was a little wind, so snowflakes fell with some angle.

The girl put her face in front of a window. Some condensation appeared near her mouth, and she put her hand upper of her eyes to observe outside. The snowman was always here, but it began to disappear, slowly, under the new snowflakes.

- Your sister is already asleep, murmured her mother, in her seat.  
- Can we open the presents ? Asked again the girl.  
- Not yet. Come here and eat something !

The little girl sat down, angry. This meal was a party's dinner with luxurious recipes, but artificial food was not for this girl. The dry meat and machine-make vegetables weren't good enough for her taste. Her mother forced herself to eat something obviously. She was loosing her appetite. Her mind was busy, elsewhere. One day, the girl saw her, alone in her room, crying.

- I'm not hungry! Shouted the girl, seriously.  
- We're lucky to eat such a meal tonight.

This year, like the others before, bad weather and cold destroyed the harvests. Food was becoming uncommon; Plants weren't growing anymore before winters. Even greenhouses weren't able to produce enough for all people.

- Give the meal to other people, said the girl.  
- Don't be insolent! Shouted her mother.  
- Umpf…

The little girl came to the great clock, hooked on a wall. It said exactly 11.57 P.M. Tree minutes yet. She was nervous, excited. Her sister was also upset some hours before, but she was asleep now, in one sofa.

11.59. P.M. !

- Mother! It's hardly midnight, cried the girl.  
- OK, you won. I give you your present.

The girl ran to her mother, and she was given a little gold box. She opened it and she saw a very fine jewel, an hair jewel. It was in white gold, in a pirate style: a rounded skull with two bones bottom. Her mother put it in her red hair.

- Merry Christmas, Emeraldas, said her mother with gentleness  
- Thank you Mother. I wanted it, this one! Mother? Are you thinking?  
- Never mind. You shall go to bed!

Emeraldas left her Mother but she saw this man coming in. He was a scientist. He spoke very quickly, and the girl understood only a few words.

"Robotize" "Death sun" "Only way"

What was that? Why her mother and this man were speaking during Christmas? Emeraldas didn't know.

Before going to bed, Emeraldas looked at herself in a mirror. She was more serious with this new jewel.

- Now, I am Emeraldas the pirate! She said, like in a game.

She went to bed but she remembered what her Mother said some days before : Soon the end of the planet Rametal will come.

Today, only this jewel was important.


	3. The first flight

Tales of memories

Translation from "Souvenirs souvenirs"

**3 – The first flight**

The boy found his way through the old fence. A man was running after him, handling a great staff.

- Robber! Come back here!

These quite simple words wouldn't stop this frenzy boy. The man, a dishonest merchant of the neighbourhood, was bored with this run. He left his shop alone, and he lost only a few clothes.

- If you dare coming back to me, you will suffer! shouted the man.  
- Of course, sucker! Said the boy, always running.

The boy arrived on a junk place, near a sport facility. It was quite a good place to meet someone quietly. Tired, he found a teenager with a very aggressive look.

- Show me your "catch-of-the-day". Bad, very bad, only 4 clothes in synthetic material? I give you… 30 bucks.  
- But this is robbery! Claimed the boy.  
- You are the Robber. I am the Customer. 30 bucks. Do not forget, this is the last day…  
- All right.

The boy sold these clothes for a few yellow coins. The teenager disappeared quickly with his treasure. He would be able to resale it three times this price soon.

He counted his money. With all his change, he got 56 bucks. It was enough to do what he wanted. He left the junk place and walked to the show land of the town centre. A great exhibition was happening. He waited this moment a long time. He tried to enter without a ticket, but the safety measures were very tight, even for him.

He bought, for the first time of his entire life, a ticket, honestly. Inside, he was amazed by the exhibition. All the brand new spacecrafts, warships, were explained. There was a building only for one-person ships. Suddenly, a voice shouted:

- Ladies and Gentlemen, our main show is about to begin. Please go to the landing facility.

He ran to the place and found a seat in the very first rank. But, he randomly came to an official tribune, full of military officers and their families. They left him alone to see the take off of several vessels.

- Ladies and Gentlemen, the Earth Defence Forces are proud to show their last prototype of space battleship. It is his very fist flight! Please welcome the "Karyu" or "Fire Dragon"!

A large battleship, with a red and grey painting, with four triple guns turrets, took off with some applause. The little boy paid a great attention to this show.

- One day, I will command a ship like that!  
- This would be surprising, said a voice.

Next to him, another little boy, dressed like a soldier. His hair was shorter.

- And why will I be unable to command this ship?  
- Because there's only one "Karyu" and I will be its captain.  
- You're right. This ship isn't good enough for me.  
- You dare, don't you?  
- Umpf…

These two boys were looking at each others, to defy themselves. The other boy's father took his hand.

- We must leave, Warius. Warius Zero, do you copy? Asked the officer.

Warius was again looking at the rag boy.

- I'm sure we'll meet in the future. What's your name?  
- Harlock.

Harlock saw the "Karyu" one more time. He disliked this name; it wasn't very aggressive for him. "Death Shadow" sounded great or better "Arcadia", like this old-fashioned three decks battleship he read the story some time before.


	4. The hat

Tales of memories

Translation from "Souvenirs souvenirs"

**4 – The hat**

The boy stopped and picked up once more time his rounded glasses on the ground. Time was very hot during this season, especially on Titan. Saturn, the great planet with its legendary rings, was about to disappear on the horinzon.

He started to run again, first to tell to his mother the good news of the day, and also because he wasn't able to deal with this heat. The family's house was quite cold, and a cold drink was waiting for his return. Such nice feelings were in his head.

- Nice, again a "A+", his teacher told to him earlier.  
- That was a piece of cake, the boy answered.  
- But, this is quantum physics for a ph-D level!

Quantum physics, they were the very two people to understand something to that, this boy and his teacher. Solving the Schrödinger's formula was a joke. That was only a three-day job. Others scientists spent their entire life to work on it, unsuccessfully.

After ten minutes of running, the house could be seen by the boy. This was a little tiny wood-made house, near a green hill. The abandoned garden was quite great, and the fountain gave always some fresh water, despite it was so old.

Under the shadow of a tree, sat on this old cheer, his mother was waiting. She stood up when he arrived.

- Good evening my boy! How was your day?  
- Very good. I gained another "A+", he said showing proudly his test.  
- Well, well, your teachers shall begin to be bored with all this stuff. Soon you'll have to go to Earth's college to learn something!  
- We'll talk about this later.

The boy came in and threw his school bag on a cheer. A full glass of He water was awaiting on the table. He drank it without taking a breath. The cold liquid was always a benefit with such a hot weather.

He went to his room, which was hardly a workshop than a bedroom. A little car, a new miniaturized battery and more and more inventions were on the ground. This week, he spent all his free time to a new hyperdrive module.

Where did he learnt all this incredible knowledge ? Even the boy didn't know. This was natural, he thought, a sixth sense. Sometimes, a unique observation on a new machine was enough for him to understand it. Everyone was jealous, because of his genius and also because he was only 15. A young boy like him is often described as a noodle-head rather than a great scientist.

- I did some shopping today at the village, his mother said, coming in his this "workshop"- How was this trip? The boy answered, handling a great tool.  
- I bought you something.

His mother showed him a gigantic brown hat. She gave it to his son, and he tried it.

- That's great. This hat will protect you from the Sun and Saturn during summers!  
- Thank you mum, I love it!  
- By the way, Tochiro, the seller gave me another one for nothing. He though I was a nice customer!

Tochiro, the little boy, took a look to this twin brother of his hat. He gave it to his mother, because he has only one head to carry something, he said.

His mother went to the main room and turned on the TV, to hear the news during the meal's cooking. Tochiro, with his head protected by this new hat, was working on his hyperdrive module. He didn't pay any attention to the journalist's speaking. He was saying on the TV, seriously:

- New negotiations between Central Earth Government and the Llumina planet failed once again. The Prime Minister spoke earlier of a "future war against the Llumina planet".  
- That's madness, the mother said.  
- The planet Râmetal, which was the leading part of the negotiations, withdrew and reminded to all its neutrality. The Earth's defence fleet was put on the orange alert level.

Lluminas? War? These words were so far for the teenager. His brown hat and his tools were so important for him today…


	5. The lesson

Tales of memories

Translation from "Souvenirs souvenirs"

**5 – The Lesson**

This was a great huge room. The little girl was bored, sat down on a too luxurious seat, covert with alien cloth. She was looking round; she wasn't really listening to her teacher.

- Your Majesty, do you hear me? She asked, at last.  
- Yes, of course, the little girl answered, lying as best as she could.  
- This is an important lesson. Please pay attention to this, your Majesty.

Her teacher was bust a gut with her young student. Even now, she didn't pay any attention to all these obscure scientific lessons. For days, she had to learn everything about biology, chemistry, ecology.

What for? Why learn the physiology of the plants which were living right there? Why know exactly the composition of the special growing water?

Patience of a royal blood people has its limits, even if the person was young.

- That's enough for me today, the girl said after a quarter of an hour.  
- Sire, I beg you! We have much work to do!  
- Come back tomorrow. This biology is very annoying.

A silence followed this very instant. It was very comprehensive. The teacher thought it was a good idea not to continue the lesson. She saw the Princess angry only once, and this was enough.

The professor left the room when the Queen came back to see her daughter. She was tall, slender with pale skin. Her great blue dress, made with a special cloth as sweet as silk gave her a look of goddess. But she was exasperated.

- You are really a bad girl, she said without any sweetness. How do you dare lead our people if you don't know anything about the mysteries of the Life?  
- Mother, biology is not my favourite task. I prefer History or war tactics.  
- Impudent girl! Is this a way to answer to your Queen?

The young princess was silent now and didn't say any word. Why her mother swapped his former teaching schedule for this new one? The Queen went out and the Princess went to bed with the hope to sleep quietly this time.

The following morning, her teacher came again.

- Why are you here? This isn't the time for my lesson, I think. The Princess reproached his teacher for this intrusion.  
- Your highness Rafflesia, I am very sorry. But the Queen herself asked me to come early, the mazone teacher answered.  
- Hum…  
- Today's lesson is quite different. We'll talk about History, _our History_.

These last words were interesting and the young Princess started to listen to her professor. At last, she would learn something more interesting than water chemistry.

A little image projector was installed and showed a picture of a blue planet, floating in the middle of the room.

- What is it? The young Princess asked.- This the planet called "Earth".  
- Earth? Mother speaks sometimes about this planet.  
- Yes, your Majesty. This planet was once a colony of the mazone people. Now this is a "safety" planet.  
- Safety? What the mazones are afraid of?  
- Our mother land could die very soon, the teacher said, with a little breath.

That's what the Queen was thinking all this time. The princess knew that her planet had very limited resources, and they were to be depleted. But, these dark thinking were soon crushed by another thing.

The Earth, this blue planet, was so pretty, so sweet. Huge oceans, lands for crops, fresh water and so more were a part of this new world. This was a very good nutritive water, able to feed a mazone. That was an opportunity to take.

- Your Majesty? Are you listening to me?  
- Yes, yes, the young princess lied.

This "Earth", I want to go over there!


	6. The harp

Tales of memories

Translation from "Souvenirs souvenirs"

6 – The harp

What a wonderful world! The three suns raised soon before, one after each other, throwing a colored light upon this small lake. Exotic plants, great trees were a part of this massive vegetation. All these gave this place a perfume of intense quiet.

A man, a woman and a little girl, they were all threes sat down, on an old damaged cloth. Today was a day to remember.

- Thank you mother, thank father for this walk. I do love this place, the little girl said with respect.  
- I knew you'd love it, her mother answered.

The little girl put one hand on her blue hair, to do improve her hairdressing. Some locks were hard to do, they were put back behind her hears.

A first bottle, a piece of pottery, was opened. A very good smell was around the air soon.

- That's a wine from Lâmetale! The litter girl shouted, very happy.  
- Of course, it's your birthday, her father spoke. It's an important day, isn't it?

To drink for a party day was natural, but there wasn't any food on the cloth. Only plenty bottles, with famous names: Special Wine from Râmetale, Old-French-way wine from Selenia.

They drank for hours. The suns followed their race throughout the sky of Jura, this lovely planet.Its inhabitants, some kind of human beings, without mouth and pacifist, 'eat' only alcohol. This was another weir thing in this Universe…

The afternoon was about to finish.

- We must go home, the mother said. She got up and picked some bottles.  
- I see, but I would like to go to see again the lake.  
- You can, but come back quickly, we have something for you.

The girl ran to the lake and put her hand on the cold water. Some small waves disturbed the bugs living here. What a quiet place, compared to these huge cities, in the nearest planets.

Jura was so far from all the dark stories of the Universe, far from all wars. Lluminas? Mazones? The words meant nothing for inhabitants of this world.

The little girl came back ten minutes after her departure. Her parents were carrying a great present.

- Happy birthday, Mimee, they said together.  
- Thank you Mother, thank you Father answered Mimee.  
- Open it! Come on!

Mimee, as all young girls, opened her present with an incredible speed.

A gold harp, shining was waiting for her. She knew how to play it, it was a gift for her.

- A harp! Thank you, I did want one!

Mimee kissed her parents and sat down on the grass. She closed her eyes and started to play with an intense happiness.

A tiny music was soon audible. The "song of Peace" was her favourite song, she knew it by heart. Her playing was very impressive. They took their hands, looking at their daughter, playing as this was the best day in her life.

- Bravo Mimee. Keep it safe, it's a very rare model today.  
- I know. That's why I'm very happy and grateful.

This family left the place and went away, bearing the gold harp. These dark rumours about foreign policy bored them. Who wanted to do something bad to them? Jura had no army, no secret technology, no resources to plunder.

Unfortunately, at the end of this galaxy, they were coming. They were hided, but they look for something precisely: destroy the planet Jura. In fact, the Mazones do not know what is pity.

Would they have changed their mind?

If only they could have see this place.


	7. A modeler

Tales of memories

Translation from "Souvenirs souvenirs"

**7 – A modeler**

- This is the day! The boy said to himself, coming in the shop.  
- Oh, you're here again, the seller said. He recognized him.

The employee took a great box from the storehouse. The boy put slowly on a table some change, made with a lot of small coins. He was saving money from his pocket for several months to buy this present.

- That's it, the seller said, counting the money. Thank you my boy and enjoy yourself!  
- Thank you Sir.

The boy couldn't wait anymore. Going back to his house, he looked in his bag once again. The box, some paintings, some brushes, all was here. He will start as soon as he would be back home.

He lived in one of these great suburbs, like any suburbs which existed at this time on Earth. His house, a standard-model, manufactured by a huge factory, was built with its little garden. It was an ordinary 40 square meters living area.

- I'm back, he said closing the door behind him.  
- How was today? A female voice answered from the kitchen.  
- I've bought another model.

He ran to his house and threw away all items on his desk. This box wasn't an ordinary present, it claimed some extra room. He started to work on it immediately.

- So, the third gun turret goes on this base, he said with a smooth voice.

With some glue, this turret was over. Painting and last details would come later, but this ship was great, even now. The model was at last 60 centimetres length, and it was said it was the most difficult to achieve.

But he did it, easily, in a short time. Soon, he started to paint it with attention. He was so precise in his work he decided to make some false rusts on the hull.

- That's look real, he said to himself.

A week later, it was time to show it to his mother. The model was over, fine on his black pedestal. The warship had all its turrets, its masts, its grey and red painting.

The boy took his precious ship and showed it. His mother wasn't very surprised with the high quality of the model. Only the time of work, one week, amazed her.

- You broke your last record, Yattaran, she said. Did you do all this in one week only?  
- Yes, mum. This was an easy one… for me!  
- What is the name of this ship? I'm sure I've seen it before.  
- It's the Yamato battle cruiser, mum. You know, this ship was sent all far in the galaxy.  
- Yes, I see.

Never his mother told him that his father died on one of these space ships, during one passed war. But, his husband wasn't a navy recruit. He was only an assistant on a cargo space ship. But, the war took his life.

- Dad would like it, doesn't he?

She looked at the ground and held her breath for a few seconds. She was thinking about what to say.

- Of course he does. Sure. We'll show it when he'd be back from Heavy Melder. He must achieve his delivery first, you know.  
- Yes, but where's Heavy Melder? Yattaran Asked.  
- Far, far away.

The oven rang, dinner was hot and it was time to eat something. Yattaran's mother ran to the kitchen to take the meal and hide her sadness.

They used to live in peace on Earth. If only this quite simple life could survive.

Yattaran was playing with his new battleship. The Spaceship Yamato was so great, so powerful!


	8. A dream

Tales of memories

Translation from "souvenirs souvenirs"

**8**** – A dream**

At last, spring was there, on Earth. Trees were going back to life; buds turned themselves into leaves, slowly. The Sun claimed his lost time on winter.

An alarm clock rang, showing 7.00 AM. A hand came from a bed and crushed this cursed thing.

A blond-hair girl left sadly his bed and its smooth comfort. All Mondays morning, this was a mess.

- And please put your room in order this time, a voice said.  
- Yes mum, the girl answered.

Do this, do not do this, orders, all was nothing but orders for her, all the time, all the day. Why adult's world was full of prohibitions, obligations? Who was the fool who created all these awful things?

- You're going to be late at school. Hurry up! Her mother said during the breakfast  
- Oh my gosh, it is 7.30 AM. I have to go, the girls answered.

She got up and left a part of her meal on the table. Her uniform was quite dirty, but this could be worse. Fortunately, the school was near, away from her home by a 15-minute walk.

She arrived just on time and went to her table, next to a window.

The girl looked at the park throw this window. How fascinating was this show; ten times more interesting than this boring History lesson.

- And, at the end of the era called "Sengoku Jidai", the new leader of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, took his troops to…

The teacher's voice was far, far away. She wasn't listening at something at all.

- So, piracy was great on Chinese and Japanese seas and…

By hearing these words, she figured herself, for a short time, a real pirate in the middle of the 17th century. No more boring teachers, no more orders; Only freedom. The Freedom, where only your will is your own limit.

She looked at his clock; she must stay here for 30 minutes. His father will not be at home then. He was working all day, his job was so important! But, he spent a lot of time at the Earth's college and choose this awful job. He, freedomly, choose to be a slave she though.

Her neighbour wasn't listening to the teacher. A magazine was carefully hidden by her schoolbook.

- Hey, do you want to go the shop area after school? Her neighbour asked her.  
- No way, my mother would kill me. She wants me to help her at her shop tonigh.  
- She is a little bit… oppressive, isn't she? Do you have free time in you life?

The girl didn't answer the question, the answer was obvious. Who was free on Earth now? You must learn study, be a fine girl, marry yourself, have children and do so boring things. Only to be considered as a "civilized human".

- Miss Kei Yuki! The teacher shouted.

The girl got up and looked at everywhere.

- Welcome back to Earth, Miss Yuki. Please, read for these humans the chapter three! Thank you  
- Hum… Hai, Sensai-sama Kei answered with all laughs from her class.

She took the book and started to read:

- Pirates are outlaws men who spend their life into plunders. They used to attack merchant vessels. They were very important during the end of the…

During her reading, Kei Yuki though once again she was on one of these liberty vessels, where neither prohibition nor order would go against her will.

A dream on Earth...


End file.
